Obituaries: Evelyn (Salkeld) Kowitch

1 week ago

4 minutes read

1928 ~ 2024

It is with much love and extreme sadness that we have said goodbye to Evelyn Kowitch, who passed away at Rose Villa in Rosetown Saskatchewan on the 6th of February 2024 at the age of 95.

Evelyn was the beloved wife of the late Willie Kowitch, loving mother of Shelley (Harvey) Grieve of New Zealand, Blake Kowitch of Rosetown, Saskatchewan, and the late Laurie. She was the very proud and much-loved grandmother of Ted (Delwyn), Bob (Martha) and Mike Grieve of New Zealand. She was a great-grandmother to Will, Josh, Lucy, and Oliver. She was also an aunt, great-aunt, and great-great aunt to many.

Mom was born on April 10, 1928, in the little three-room house at Brock, and that would be her home for all of her growing up years. Her parents were Laura and Joseph Salkeld, and she had two brothers, Bob, and Hudson. Even though she grew up in the “dirty thirties” she had a very happy childhood with many memories of living on the farm and loving the farm life. She also loved school and was very good at it, even if her dad did have to bribe her with a silver dollar to finish a course in Latin. She always said she would rather be outside with the dogs and horses than inside doing any kind of housework or needlework.

Sadness came when Mom lost her dad when she was only 16, and she and her brother Hudson had to carry on and do the farm work, until her older brother Bob was able to come home from the navy where he was serving during World War II.

Mom had planned to train to be a teacher but didn’t want to leave her mother on her own, so instead she took some university classes by correspondence, and later she went on to be a very popular teacher at the Rouse School. Some of her students still claim that she was the best teacher they ever had and there was one student (in particular) who worked very hard to emulate Mom’s lovely handwriting.

Mom met dad, Willie Kowitch, at a dance on the 1st of July at Eston, and they were married at Brock United Church on the 20th of July 1950. They purchased some land just a mile north of Brock and farmed there for many years. Laurie, Blake, and Shelley arrived in due course and the family was complete. Once again, Mom worked happily alongside Dad on the farm and loved nothing better than being part of that life.

Because Laurie and Blake had special needs, both Mom and Dad worked tirelessly to establish a school and later the Wheatland Regional Centre to ensure that they would live their best life. This was quite a challenge in the 1950s and 1960s and I don’t think anyone will ever appreciate the dedication and love and determination that they put into this endeavour–and they succeeded!

Mom loved the Brock District and lived there most of her life. She took an active interest in the community and was especially interested in the Cemetery Association, and served on that committee for a long time, as well as the UCW. She was so proud of anything to do with Brock and the achievements of the people who lived there. With that in mind, she was the perfect person to be the Brock correspondent for the Kindersley Clarion, the Rosetown Eagle and the Eston Press. She wrote up the news weekly for many years and took a lot of pride in doing a professional job.

Although in the last few years of her life, Mom had to leave the farm to live in various apartments and finally Rose Villa at Rosetown, she never considered them to be her home and her heart always remained on the farm at Brock.

She also was a member of the TOPS club in Kindersley for many years and it was a place where she made many friends and enjoyed all the social times that they had together.

Mom was so proud of her family, and nothing was too much of an effort if it meant helping in any way and making us happy. Because Shelley had moved to New Zealand, that meant many trips over for Mom and Dad to visit and to be with their grandchildren. Mom was famous for believing that if you were allowed two suitcases each, then you took two suitcases–always filled to the brim with treats and surprises. Customs must have had her on a watch list eventually, as it was amazing the variety of things that arrived in the country with Mom.

Mom and Dad also spent some happy times being “Snowbirds” in Yuma, Arizona, where they would meet up with her brother Bob and his wife Jessie, as well as many other Brock people. There were also many fun camping trips to Turtle Lake.

In later years, when they couldn’t travel as easily, they were so happy to welcome their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren into their home at Brock. All the favourite foods would be prepared, and the visits well documented with photos and enjoyed by all.

Mom lived in a time of great change–from no electricity or running water and horses being used for farm work and transport–to air travel and the internet allowing video calls from 10,000 miles away. It is hard to imagine another generation ever seeing that much change in their lifetime, and through it all, mom was able to adapt and embrace the changes, and to be able to relate to people of all ages. She had a great network of friends and put her all into her community and family.

There will be a Celebration of Life held for Mom later Sunday, July 14th, 2024 at 2:00 pm., at the Brock Community Hall, Brock SK, and at this time our family would like to thank all her friends and the staff at Rose Villa for their help and support for her, and for us, during the final years of her remarkable life.

Donations in Evelyn’s memory can be made to a charity of your choice.

Services
CELEBRATION OF LIFE
Sunday
July 14, 2024
2:00 PM
Brock Community Centre
West Street
Brock, SK S0L 0H0

Donations
A Charity of the Donor’s Choice